Master's Program in Medical Physics

Program

A Rigorous, CAMPEP-Accredited Curriculum Grounded in Research, Clinical Training, and Personalized Mentorship.

Program

A Rigorous, CAMPEP-Accredited Curriculum Grounded in Research, Clinical Training, and Personalized Mentorship.

The Master of Science in Medical Physics at Brown University is a two-year, full-time, CAMPEP-accredited graduate program designed to provide students with the core scientific foundation, clinical exposure, and research training necessary to thrive in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. Through a combination of didactic coursework, hands-on experience, and scholarly research, students graduate with the professional competencies required for entry into competitive medical physics residency programs or doctoral-level study.

Housed within The Warren Alpert Medical School, our curriculum emphasizes a translational, interdisciplinary approach, integrating fundamental physics with advanced applications in radiation therapy and diagnostic imaging. Small cohort sizes enable intensive one-on-one faculty mentorship, and our unique partnership with Brown University Health gives students direct access to state-of-the-art clinical environments throughout their training.

What Makes Brown Unique

Dedicated Research Semester for Residency Readiness

A hallmark of the Brown Medical Physics program is our dedicated research semester in the Fall of Year 2. Unlike many other programs, Brown strategically structures this semester to give students the time and flexibility needed to complete, refine, and present their research before the start of the medical physics residency interview season.

This timing is more than just convenient—it’s integral to our 100% residency placement rate. Students are empowered to submit polished research abstracts, prepare for presentations, and focus on applications and interviews without the added demands of a full course load. This clear runway to professional success distinguishes Brown’s program as a proactive and residency-aligned training model.

Program Structure

225 Dyer Street The curriculum spans five academic semesters (including one summer) and consists of 11 credit hours. Students complete a core set of foundational courses, clinical rotations, professional development workshops, and a mentored research project. Two specialized tracks allow students to tailor their training:

Radiation Therapy Physics Track
Diagnostic Imaging Physics Track

Students in both tracks complete a shared core curriculum during their first year, with elective coursework and research experiences becoming more specialized in the second year.

Career Preparation and Mentored Support

In addition to academic and clinical preparation, our program provides dedicated career guidance and professional development support. Regular workshops, mock interviews, CV writing sessions, and networking events with practicing physicists help students prepare for residencies, industry roles, and further graduate study.

Students also benefit from:

Merit-Based Scholarships
Paid Quality Assurance Assistantships (available to qualified students for additional clinical experience and funding)
A strong alumni network engaged in academic, clinical, and industry leadership roles

A Launchpad for Residency and Beyond

Graduates of the Brown University Medical Physics Master’s program are exceptionally well-prepared for residency programs accredited by CAMPEP, Ph.D. training, or direct entry into clinical and technical roles in healthcare. Our integrated approach—blending rigorous coursework, immersive clinical experiences, focused research, and supportive mentorship—produces well-rounded medical physicists ready to shape the future of medicine.

Discover how Brown’s forward-thinking curriculum and research-driven training can launch your career in medical physics.

Specialization tracks

Students specializing in therapy physics will focus on the clinical and technical principles of external beam therapy, brachytherapy, treatment planning, and dosimetry. They will also gain exposure to the commissioning and quality assurance of radiation therapy equipment, as well as experience with common clinical software platforms.

This track emphasizes the physics of medical imaging modalities, image quality assessment, and system performance. Students explore the principles and safety standards of CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and hybrid imaging systems, preparing them for imaging physics roles in clinical and academic settings.

Research & Scholarly Training

All students complete a capstone research project under the mentorship of faculty drawn from radiation oncology, radiology, biomedical engineering, public health, and physics. Research topics span a range of cutting-edge areas, including:

Image-guided radiation therapy
AI and machine learning in treatment planning
Radiation dose modeling and optimization
MRI-based adaptive therapy
Novel imaging techniques and instrumentation

Students are encouraged to present their work at national conferences such as AAPM and RSNA, and publication in peer-reviewed journals is supported.